A/N: Hopefully this chapter won't be so lame like ch. 8. This is
promising to be a longer one. Snape and Hermione forced together in awful
situations...and the plot thickens...dun dun dun!;) Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Love and War
Professor McGonagall turned to the three students following her. She once again shook her head mentally at the fact that out of all the students to get caught fighting, it was a surprise to find the Head Boy, the goody-two- shoes, and the new girl in the school were involved. Outwardly, she kept a stern frown as she said, "You start on this floor and work your way up. As I am very busy, Sir Nicholas has agreed to keep an eye on you. Two hours every night this week should get the job done. If you finish early, you are to start dusting the furniture and shelves in the tower. Remember no magic. I will be confiscating you wands until you are done for the night. You may retrieve them when I return. Cleaner and rags are waiting for you in that cupboard over there. Get started."
They reluctantly handed over their wands and turned to get started. She watched momentarily as they moved across the circular room. Satisfied they would do as they were told; she turned to the present ghost of Nearly Headless Nick. Eyeing the Gryffindor phantom mascot she said, "The first sign of trouble send a house elf to tell me. If you can stop them please feel free to do whatever necessary. Somehow I don't trust these three to survive detention together without mishaps. Good evening and thank you again for doing this."
"No trouble. It was my pleasure. My days are very boring except for holidays and the beginning and ending feasts. It is grand to have a purpose once in a while," the ghost replied wistfully. Seeing her eye the door, he said, "Go. I shall not keep you any longer. I know you are a busy witch."
She nodded and looking at the students, who were washing the many large windows, sighted and left them to their work.
Hermione sighed to herself as McGonagall left the tower. Here we go, she thought rolling her eyes mentally. If we get through the night without an insult war breaking out it will be a miracle. Coming out of her thoughts she nodded at her redheaded friend and they got to work.
Each floor contained a circular room attached to the outer spiraling staircase. The rooms had twelve floor-to-ceiling picture windows each. They worked in silence for the first half hour and were two-thirds of the way done with the first floor when Lily broke the silence. "Hogsmeade weekend is coming up. Are you allowed to go?" she asked Hermione.
Hermione frowned momentarily before saying, "I don't remember getting permission but I can ask Dumbledore later. I've only been there once right after I got here. It looked pretty cool. I heard Zonko's Joke Shop is one of the best around. Anyplace can get good butterbeer?" She already knew the answer, but was trying to play the ignorant newcomer.
Lily grinned. "Of course, the Three Broomsticks is the best. And Zonko's is great. Just don't let the caretaker, Filch, catch you with anything. I swear that man can smell a gag or prank the minute you step through the gates. Did you have a joke shop in the islands?" she asked.
Hermione grinned back and said, "Actually there were two. One was as old as Zonko's and the other was created and owned by my best friend's brothers, Fred and George. There never were two bigger pranksters the twins. There seventh year was crazy. They set off an entire box of fireworks they created, that can't be put out with water and only increase in strength if they are hit with magic. Then there was the turning the corridor into a swamp incident. The teachers had such a hard time with that one."
Lily's eyes were streaming with held back laughter at the very thought. Collecting herself she said, "I can just picture James and Sirius doing something like that if they were given the resources. I wish we had some of that stuff. Though as a prefect I probably shouldn't encourage them."
A silky yet disdainful voice interrupted, "They wouldn't need it. They are admired enough as it is without the ability to annoy the teachers and the rest of the school with stuff like that. I wouldn't even tell them. It would only give them idiot notions of grandeur."
The witches had forgotten that the Slytherin was still present. They both turned and glared at him across the room, where he had been cleaning his part of the room. He had paused in his cleaning of the third window to listen to their conversation.
Like a recurring plague it seemed he couldn't escape an afternoon without hearing the names of his most hated enemies. The very thought of them made him lash out at the nearest target, "They don't need their heads swelled anymore than they already are. They get everything they want already. Maybe that's why they are friends with mudbloods like you. Do you give them everything they want?" He sneered and slowly looked them up and down in a suggestive way.
The girls gasped simultaneously at the double insult. They both stepped toward him, death or at least great physical harm written on their faces. Severus stepped forward in challenge. Thy were almost in arms reach of each other, when they all shuddered in shock as a wave of icy air swept over them. They had forgotten their ghostly guardian. He was currently floating between them with a limb touching each of them. They were too chilled and uncomfortable to think about harming each other.
Seeing that they were stopped, Sir Nicholas pulled away from them. Shaking his wobbly head carefully he said, "I am surprised at you. I would have thought you valued your free time enough not to cause more trouble. Professor McGonagall is on her way. I hope you can explain yourselves." They separated to their sections once more and continued to work in tense silence.
It wasn't long until the Transfiguration professor walked in and she wasn't too happy by the looks of it. She was thin lipped and tight faced. She sneer at them with a look worthy of a Slytherin. "I am disgusted with you. Of all the things...threatening physical fighting like common muggles. Obviously windows are too easy if you have time to throw insults at each other. Twenty points each from your houses and extra detention on Saturday. I will see if I can find something that will be more occupying for you. Now get back to work. You have 45 minutes left tonight," she ordered them. They hung their heads and returned to their task while McGonagall watched.
As they moved to the second floor Snape thought, Gryffindors. They can never restrain their tempers. Pathetic little mudbloods. They wouldn't have stood a chance in a fight. Seeing the two witches whispering to each other he mentally winced. I am probably going to regret my comments. Hopefully it won't keep me from quidditch.
"We need to do something about him. Between classes and detention: this is getting out of hand. We should do something that will make him stop, but won't get us in trouble. It can't be traced back to us, if you know what I mean," whispered Hermione.
Lily nodded and whispered back, "We could get James, Sirius and Remus in on it. They are always dying for a reason to get him."
Hermione shook her head. "Too obvious. Plus there is enough animosity between them already. This needs to be something quiet yet effective. What do you know about him? What would affect him the most, but could be done by anybody?" she asked quietly.
Lily frowned thoughtfully, "He's a good student. He has his own room as Head Boy. He is a seeker for Slytherin. His best subject is Potions and he hates muggleborns. His best friend is Luscious Malfoy. He only wears black."
A slow grin spread across Hermione's face and she said, "I just go an idea."
They finished out their week's detention without further incidents. They didn't dare try anything once McGonagall supervised them herself. Their Saturday detention was spent cleaning the third floor bathrooms without magic. By the time they finished they were too tired to do anything but eat and sleep.
They may not have the energy to move or insult each other but the plans for revenge continued. Their only impediment was timing. They had to wait until Snape had his guard down. They found their chance two weeks later. While everyone was eating lunch before the quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, Hermione and Lily were sneaking into the Head Boy's common room. They had to fight to suppress a fit of giggles at the situation.
"You take the room decorations and I'll get his clothes. Remember bright colors or pastels. No dark green or silver anything. We want it as obnoxious as possible, but no hint that it was done by Gryffindors," Hermione directed Lily. Smiling at each other mischievously they got to work.
Twenty minutes later the changes were drastic. The bed and comforter were in luscious shades of royal purple and magenta pink with ruffles. The carpets were now a floral pattern reminiscent of a Hawaiian shirt in pinks, purples and light greens. The clothes in the wardrobe consisted of bright shades of pink, orange, yellow, blue and purple with one green shirt. Even his knickers had been transfigured into a florid shade of yellow-green. The girls stood at the door and beamed at their handiwork. "Snape is going to flip. I especially like the knickers. It was a nice touch. I can't wait to see his face," Lily said gleefully.
Hermione grinned back and said, "I know. We should go before we're missed. Remember we have to try to keep a straight face until he finds it though. And I stress the try." Schooling their faces into strained indifference with difficulty, they left the room, fighting the urge to laugh the entire way.
The girls sat at their customary table for dinner. To the boys' confusion they kept glancing at the doors then at each other before breaking into giggles or broad smile. Finally James cracked and asked, "What is so funny?"
This only made the witches laugh harder. Once they had calmed a bit Lily said cryptically, "You'll see." This only confused the boys more, since the girls rarely kept secrets.
"A suddenly loud band from the entrance hall made everyone turn to look. The girls grinned widely as a furious looking Snape swept into the halls. His robes were the uniform black as usual but his shirt, to everyone's surprise, was bright green and his pants a slightly darker shade. A murmur swept across the room once Snape had sat down at his own table, scowling as he told his table mates about the changes. A Hufflepuff got up and came over to their table bending over and saying quietly, "Have you heard yet? Someone broke into Snape's room and charmed all his stuff pink and purple, even his clothes. He tried to change them back but there is a binding charm on them. They won't change back. He is absolutely furious." Smiling, she stood and walked to the fifth year's table to spread the news.
Hermione and Lily looked at each other and burst out laughing. The boys looked completely dumbfounded. Slowly they began to smile at the irony of the situation. It is the ultimate prank to pull on the greasy git. Only Remus seemed to be thinking beyond the greatness of the joke. Watching the girls as they laughed themselves to tears he said, "You did it, didn't you?"
The boys turned and stared at the girls as they collected themselves. Hermione was the first one to be able to speak, "Yes we did. During lunch. He needed to be taken down a peg or two. What do you think?"
James and Sirius simultaneously said, "I think it's great." They grinned at each other and congratulated the girls on a job well done.
James said, "He'll have to wear colors for at least a week until his parents buy him more. Did I hear right, you turned his room pink and purple?"
Lily answered, "Yes, I did."
"There was some pastel green and yellow too," Hermione added.
Frank asked, "Why didn't you make it red and gold? It would have ticked him off just as much."
Hermione answered, "Too obvious. We didn't want to get in trouble or loose points by making it house colors. Plus where red and gold would be bad, the majority of the clothes are now pink, purple and buttercup yellow. It would be hurtful to his manhood to where such ...feminine colors. Don't you think?" She grinned at them as they nodded.
"I'm starving. We can talk about this more later. Let's eat," said Lily. As they had spent the afternoon cheering at the quidditch match and working up an appetite, the all agreed and immediately tucked into their hearty meal.
The next two weeks passed uneventfully. Snape eventually got new clothes, but he could be seen wearing blue, yellow and green for a week. Never once were the pink or purple shirt seen. When he didn't retaliate or try to find out if it was they who did it, Hermione gained a little respect for his self restraint. In potions class, they ignored each other unless they asked for an ingredient to be passed or to remind the other to add something. That is until one memorable day in the third week.
They were half way through Double Potions. They had been working on the Confusion Concoction. It was a finicky potion that if done the slightest bit wrong or left unfinished would either explode or poison the drinker. Their textbook warned that contact with an unfinished or botched version could cause serious burns. They were being extra careful as they progressed.
Severus and Hermione were once again giving each other the silent treatment. Hermione was just about to add the hellbore leaves when she saw Frank Longbottom about to add a red liquid to his cauldron. She whirled around and screamed, "Frank! Don't add the dragon's ..." Too late.
For a second nothing happened when suddenly the flame orange liquid bubbled and exploded in every direction. Hermione reacted without thinking. She threw herself on top of Snape and grabbed Lily, who pulled Frank with her, shoving her behind a desk, while Hermione landed heavily on her stomach. Suddenly her skin felt like it was on fire. It was worse than anything she had every felt. Worse than that werewolf scratch, being hit by Grawp. Even worse than the short bout of Cruciatus she had suffered in sixth year. It was complete agony, like a million microscopic knives driving into her flesh. It was on her arms and legs. She could feel it traveling across her back and soaking her hair. She just wanted it to stop. "Please make it stop," she whispered.
She could hear a conversation, though it was blurred and hard to concentrate around the pain.
"Get her robes off..." "Look at her arms..." "The poor thing..." "Is she okay..." "Move out of the way..."
Suddenly she was being lifted onto a stretcher and floating down the halls. Finally she succumbed to the pain and slipped into blessed unconsciousness.
Severus looked around at Elizabeth's shout to Longbottom. He was trying to figure out what happened when the cauldron exploded and his partner was suddenly throwing him roughly to the ground. He fell heavily with her on top of him. He hissed in pain as a few drops of burning liquid hit his hand. Then he looked around. He could see Evans where she had been shoved under her table. Potter's girlfriend was staring horrified at the girl lying on top of him. Seeing the terrified look, he twisted around until he could see Elizabeth and his breath caught in his throat.
Her eyes were glazed over, staring blindly against the pain. He could see the orange liquid pooled on her robes and soaking into her bushy hair. Where the potion touched her skin it was bubbling menacingly. Her voice was barely audible when she whispered, "Please make it stop."
He hastily, but carefully pulled himself out from under her. "Get her robes off. They're burning through," he heard a voice say, not realizing it was his own.
"Look at her arms," Peter Pettigrew said in awed horror.
"The poor thing," said an anonymous voice that Snape vaguely recognized as Gryffindor.
Lupin had come around from behind his desk to help Snape with her robes. "Is she okay?" he asked. She lay unmoving except for the unvoluntary shudders of pain every few seconds.
The rest of the class was in chaos. Warned by Hermione's shout, most students had been able to find some protection. A few had minor burns like Severus, but Hermione was definitely the worst. The rest of the class was talk loudly trying to look at the girl through the crowd that formed a circle around her.
Professor Michello pushed her way through the crowd with a harsh, "Move out of the way." The professor deftly conjured a stretcher and moved the close to unconscious girl on to it. "Class dismissed. Longbottom....clean up your mess and Detention, 8 o'clock. Try not to touch it. Anyone else who is hurt, report to the Hospital Wing. Everyone else ...out," she ordered.
Levitating the stretcher an its passenger out into the hall she left the dumbfounded class to do as the orders dictated. Alice, the Head Girl, stayed behind to help Frank clean up. Remus, James, Sirius, Peter and Lily headed as a group towards the entrance hall to talk. Severus, staring after the group, came out of his frozen shock and headed for the Hospital Wing.
He needed some questions answered. I never thought I would be worried about a mud...muggleborn girl, he thought. Especially that one.
A/N: I know. I seem to have a fetish for hurting Hermione and making Snape guilty about it. But it is so much fun. ( This is turning out even longer than I originally planned. I need reviews if I am to be reminded to write. I tend to be distracted over time. Thanks for all the support so far.
A/N2: HP3: Major disappointment in reference to the book. As a movie it was good. As an interpretation totally sucked. Good quote though: "There were these giant spiders and they were trying to make me tap dance. But I don't want to tap dance." "You tell those spiders Ron." Hehehehe. Buckbeak was good. Harry, Malfoy and Snape: total hotness. One thumb up one thumb down. See it for yourself though.
Chapter 9: Love and War
Professor McGonagall turned to the three students following her. She once again shook her head mentally at the fact that out of all the students to get caught fighting, it was a surprise to find the Head Boy, the goody-two- shoes, and the new girl in the school were involved. Outwardly, she kept a stern frown as she said, "You start on this floor and work your way up. As I am very busy, Sir Nicholas has agreed to keep an eye on you. Two hours every night this week should get the job done. If you finish early, you are to start dusting the furniture and shelves in the tower. Remember no magic. I will be confiscating you wands until you are done for the night. You may retrieve them when I return. Cleaner and rags are waiting for you in that cupboard over there. Get started."
They reluctantly handed over their wands and turned to get started. She watched momentarily as they moved across the circular room. Satisfied they would do as they were told; she turned to the present ghost of Nearly Headless Nick. Eyeing the Gryffindor phantom mascot she said, "The first sign of trouble send a house elf to tell me. If you can stop them please feel free to do whatever necessary. Somehow I don't trust these three to survive detention together without mishaps. Good evening and thank you again for doing this."
"No trouble. It was my pleasure. My days are very boring except for holidays and the beginning and ending feasts. It is grand to have a purpose once in a while," the ghost replied wistfully. Seeing her eye the door, he said, "Go. I shall not keep you any longer. I know you are a busy witch."
She nodded and looking at the students, who were washing the many large windows, sighted and left them to their work.
Hermione sighed to herself as McGonagall left the tower. Here we go, she thought rolling her eyes mentally. If we get through the night without an insult war breaking out it will be a miracle. Coming out of her thoughts she nodded at her redheaded friend and they got to work.
Each floor contained a circular room attached to the outer spiraling staircase. The rooms had twelve floor-to-ceiling picture windows each. They worked in silence for the first half hour and were two-thirds of the way done with the first floor when Lily broke the silence. "Hogsmeade weekend is coming up. Are you allowed to go?" she asked Hermione.
Hermione frowned momentarily before saying, "I don't remember getting permission but I can ask Dumbledore later. I've only been there once right after I got here. It looked pretty cool. I heard Zonko's Joke Shop is one of the best around. Anyplace can get good butterbeer?" She already knew the answer, but was trying to play the ignorant newcomer.
Lily grinned. "Of course, the Three Broomsticks is the best. And Zonko's is great. Just don't let the caretaker, Filch, catch you with anything. I swear that man can smell a gag or prank the minute you step through the gates. Did you have a joke shop in the islands?" she asked.
Hermione grinned back and said, "Actually there were two. One was as old as Zonko's and the other was created and owned by my best friend's brothers, Fred and George. There never were two bigger pranksters the twins. There seventh year was crazy. They set off an entire box of fireworks they created, that can't be put out with water and only increase in strength if they are hit with magic. Then there was the turning the corridor into a swamp incident. The teachers had such a hard time with that one."
Lily's eyes were streaming with held back laughter at the very thought. Collecting herself she said, "I can just picture James and Sirius doing something like that if they were given the resources. I wish we had some of that stuff. Though as a prefect I probably shouldn't encourage them."
A silky yet disdainful voice interrupted, "They wouldn't need it. They are admired enough as it is without the ability to annoy the teachers and the rest of the school with stuff like that. I wouldn't even tell them. It would only give them idiot notions of grandeur."
The witches had forgotten that the Slytherin was still present. They both turned and glared at him across the room, where he had been cleaning his part of the room. He had paused in his cleaning of the third window to listen to their conversation.
Like a recurring plague it seemed he couldn't escape an afternoon without hearing the names of his most hated enemies. The very thought of them made him lash out at the nearest target, "They don't need their heads swelled anymore than they already are. They get everything they want already. Maybe that's why they are friends with mudbloods like you. Do you give them everything they want?" He sneered and slowly looked them up and down in a suggestive way.
The girls gasped simultaneously at the double insult. They both stepped toward him, death or at least great physical harm written on their faces. Severus stepped forward in challenge. Thy were almost in arms reach of each other, when they all shuddered in shock as a wave of icy air swept over them. They had forgotten their ghostly guardian. He was currently floating between them with a limb touching each of them. They were too chilled and uncomfortable to think about harming each other.
Seeing that they were stopped, Sir Nicholas pulled away from them. Shaking his wobbly head carefully he said, "I am surprised at you. I would have thought you valued your free time enough not to cause more trouble. Professor McGonagall is on her way. I hope you can explain yourselves." They separated to their sections once more and continued to work in tense silence.
It wasn't long until the Transfiguration professor walked in and she wasn't too happy by the looks of it. She was thin lipped and tight faced. She sneer at them with a look worthy of a Slytherin. "I am disgusted with you. Of all the things...threatening physical fighting like common muggles. Obviously windows are too easy if you have time to throw insults at each other. Twenty points each from your houses and extra detention on Saturday. I will see if I can find something that will be more occupying for you. Now get back to work. You have 45 minutes left tonight," she ordered them. They hung their heads and returned to their task while McGonagall watched.
As they moved to the second floor Snape thought, Gryffindors. They can never restrain their tempers. Pathetic little mudbloods. They wouldn't have stood a chance in a fight. Seeing the two witches whispering to each other he mentally winced. I am probably going to regret my comments. Hopefully it won't keep me from quidditch.
"We need to do something about him. Between classes and detention: this is getting out of hand. We should do something that will make him stop, but won't get us in trouble. It can't be traced back to us, if you know what I mean," whispered Hermione.
Lily nodded and whispered back, "We could get James, Sirius and Remus in on it. They are always dying for a reason to get him."
Hermione shook her head. "Too obvious. Plus there is enough animosity between them already. This needs to be something quiet yet effective. What do you know about him? What would affect him the most, but could be done by anybody?" she asked quietly.
Lily frowned thoughtfully, "He's a good student. He has his own room as Head Boy. He is a seeker for Slytherin. His best subject is Potions and he hates muggleborns. His best friend is Luscious Malfoy. He only wears black."
A slow grin spread across Hermione's face and she said, "I just go an idea."
They finished out their week's detention without further incidents. They didn't dare try anything once McGonagall supervised them herself. Their Saturday detention was spent cleaning the third floor bathrooms without magic. By the time they finished they were too tired to do anything but eat and sleep.
They may not have the energy to move or insult each other but the plans for revenge continued. Their only impediment was timing. They had to wait until Snape had his guard down. They found their chance two weeks later. While everyone was eating lunch before the quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, Hermione and Lily were sneaking into the Head Boy's common room. They had to fight to suppress a fit of giggles at the situation.
"You take the room decorations and I'll get his clothes. Remember bright colors or pastels. No dark green or silver anything. We want it as obnoxious as possible, but no hint that it was done by Gryffindors," Hermione directed Lily. Smiling at each other mischievously they got to work.
Twenty minutes later the changes were drastic. The bed and comforter were in luscious shades of royal purple and magenta pink with ruffles. The carpets were now a floral pattern reminiscent of a Hawaiian shirt in pinks, purples and light greens. The clothes in the wardrobe consisted of bright shades of pink, orange, yellow, blue and purple with one green shirt. Even his knickers had been transfigured into a florid shade of yellow-green. The girls stood at the door and beamed at their handiwork. "Snape is going to flip. I especially like the knickers. It was a nice touch. I can't wait to see his face," Lily said gleefully.
Hermione grinned back and said, "I know. We should go before we're missed. Remember we have to try to keep a straight face until he finds it though. And I stress the try." Schooling their faces into strained indifference with difficulty, they left the room, fighting the urge to laugh the entire way.
The girls sat at their customary table for dinner. To the boys' confusion they kept glancing at the doors then at each other before breaking into giggles or broad smile. Finally James cracked and asked, "What is so funny?"
This only made the witches laugh harder. Once they had calmed a bit Lily said cryptically, "You'll see." This only confused the boys more, since the girls rarely kept secrets.
"A suddenly loud band from the entrance hall made everyone turn to look. The girls grinned widely as a furious looking Snape swept into the halls. His robes were the uniform black as usual but his shirt, to everyone's surprise, was bright green and his pants a slightly darker shade. A murmur swept across the room once Snape had sat down at his own table, scowling as he told his table mates about the changes. A Hufflepuff got up and came over to their table bending over and saying quietly, "Have you heard yet? Someone broke into Snape's room and charmed all his stuff pink and purple, even his clothes. He tried to change them back but there is a binding charm on them. They won't change back. He is absolutely furious." Smiling, she stood and walked to the fifth year's table to spread the news.
Hermione and Lily looked at each other and burst out laughing. The boys looked completely dumbfounded. Slowly they began to smile at the irony of the situation. It is the ultimate prank to pull on the greasy git. Only Remus seemed to be thinking beyond the greatness of the joke. Watching the girls as they laughed themselves to tears he said, "You did it, didn't you?"
The boys turned and stared at the girls as they collected themselves. Hermione was the first one to be able to speak, "Yes we did. During lunch. He needed to be taken down a peg or two. What do you think?"
James and Sirius simultaneously said, "I think it's great." They grinned at each other and congratulated the girls on a job well done.
James said, "He'll have to wear colors for at least a week until his parents buy him more. Did I hear right, you turned his room pink and purple?"
Lily answered, "Yes, I did."
"There was some pastel green and yellow too," Hermione added.
Frank asked, "Why didn't you make it red and gold? It would have ticked him off just as much."
Hermione answered, "Too obvious. We didn't want to get in trouble or loose points by making it house colors. Plus where red and gold would be bad, the majority of the clothes are now pink, purple and buttercup yellow. It would be hurtful to his manhood to where such ...feminine colors. Don't you think?" She grinned at them as they nodded.
"I'm starving. We can talk about this more later. Let's eat," said Lily. As they had spent the afternoon cheering at the quidditch match and working up an appetite, the all agreed and immediately tucked into their hearty meal.
The next two weeks passed uneventfully. Snape eventually got new clothes, but he could be seen wearing blue, yellow and green for a week. Never once were the pink or purple shirt seen. When he didn't retaliate or try to find out if it was they who did it, Hermione gained a little respect for his self restraint. In potions class, they ignored each other unless they asked for an ingredient to be passed or to remind the other to add something. That is until one memorable day in the third week.
They were half way through Double Potions. They had been working on the Confusion Concoction. It was a finicky potion that if done the slightest bit wrong or left unfinished would either explode or poison the drinker. Their textbook warned that contact with an unfinished or botched version could cause serious burns. They were being extra careful as they progressed.
Severus and Hermione were once again giving each other the silent treatment. Hermione was just about to add the hellbore leaves when she saw Frank Longbottom about to add a red liquid to his cauldron. She whirled around and screamed, "Frank! Don't add the dragon's ..." Too late.
For a second nothing happened when suddenly the flame orange liquid bubbled and exploded in every direction. Hermione reacted without thinking. She threw herself on top of Snape and grabbed Lily, who pulled Frank with her, shoving her behind a desk, while Hermione landed heavily on her stomach. Suddenly her skin felt like it was on fire. It was worse than anything she had every felt. Worse than that werewolf scratch, being hit by Grawp. Even worse than the short bout of Cruciatus she had suffered in sixth year. It was complete agony, like a million microscopic knives driving into her flesh. It was on her arms and legs. She could feel it traveling across her back and soaking her hair. She just wanted it to stop. "Please make it stop," she whispered.
She could hear a conversation, though it was blurred and hard to concentrate around the pain.
"Get her robes off..." "Look at her arms..." "The poor thing..." "Is she okay..." "Move out of the way..."
Suddenly she was being lifted onto a stretcher and floating down the halls. Finally she succumbed to the pain and slipped into blessed unconsciousness.
Severus looked around at Elizabeth's shout to Longbottom. He was trying to figure out what happened when the cauldron exploded and his partner was suddenly throwing him roughly to the ground. He fell heavily with her on top of him. He hissed in pain as a few drops of burning liquid hit his hand. Then he looked around. He could see Evans where she had been shoved under her table. Potter's girlfriend was staring horrified at the girl lying on top of him. Seeing the terrified look, he twisted around until he could see Elizabeth and his breath caught in his throat.
Her eyes were glazed over, staring blindly against the pain. He could see the orange liquid pooled on her robes and soaking into her bushy hair. Where the potion touched her skin it was bubbling menacingly. Her voice was barely audible when she whispered, "Please make it stop."
He hastily, but carefully pulled himself out from under her. "Get her robes off. They're burning through," he heard a voice say, not realizing it was his own.
"Look at her arms," Peter Pettigrew said in awed horror.
"The poor thing," said an anonymous voice that Snape vaguely recognized as Gryffindor.
Lupin had come around from behind his desk to help Snape with her robes. "Is she okay?" he asked. She lay unmoving except for the unvoluntary shudders of pain every few seconds.
The rest of the class was in chaos. Warned by Hermione's shout, most students had been able to find some protection. A few had minor burns like Severus, but Hermione was definitely the worst. The rest of the class was talk loudly trying to look at the girl through the crowd that formed a circle around her.
Professor Michello pushed her way through the crowd with a harsh, "Move out of the way." The professor deftly conjured a stretcher and moved the close to unconscious girl on to it. "Class dismissed. Longbottom....clean up your mess and Detention, 8 o'clock. Try not to touch it. Anyone else who is hurt, report to the Hospital Wing. Everyone else ...out," she ordered.
Levitating the stretcher an its passenger out into the hall she left the dumbfounded class to do as the orders dictated. Alice, the Head Girl, stayed behind to help Frank clean up. Remus, James, Sirius, Peter and Lily headed as a group towards the entrance hall to talk. Severus, staring after the group, came out of his frozen shock and headed for the Hospital Wing.
He needed some questions answered. I never thought I would be worried about a mud...muggleborn girl, he thought. Especially that one.
A/N: I know. I seem to have a fetish for hurting Hermione and making Snape guilty about it. But it is so much fun. ( This is turning out even longer than I originally planned. I need reviews if I am to be reminded to write. I tend to be distracted over time. Thanks for all the support so far.
A/N2: HP3: Major disappointment in reference to the book. As a movie it was good. As an interpretation totally sucked. Good quote though: "There were these giant spiders and they were trying to make me tap dance. But I don't want to tap dance." "You tell those spiders Ron." Hehehehe. Buckbeak was good. Harry, Malfoy and Snape: total hotness. One thumb up one thumb down. See it for yourself though.
